BALTIMORE – The UMBC men's soccer team scored its most goals in 18 years as the Retrievers tallied eight times in an 8-2 opening night victory over Fairfield.
Red-shirt sophomore forward
Spencer Hanks (Odenton, Md./Arundel), who missed the entire 2021 campaign with a torn ACL, scored three goals and added an assist, in his return to the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UMBC senior goalkeeper Quantrell Jones made a brilliant save in the 8' to keep the game scoreless
- Hanks scored twice in a span of 100 seconds in the 11' and 12' of the first half. The first goal came off a picture perfect set-up by Taylor Calheira and Ryan Becher.
- Junior midfielder Jago Lott (Somerset, U.K.) added a goal in the 20' off Calheira's second helper of the night to give the hosts a 3-0 lead.
- But Fairfield, picked to finish in the preseason MAAC poll, cut the gap to 3-2 by the 59'.
- Just 77 alter the Stags' second goal, Calheira was taken down in the box and converted the ensuing penalty kick.
- Becher (63') and Hanks (65') pushed the lead to 6-2 as UMBC scored three times in a span of 4:53.
- The 5-0 surge was capped by two late spectacular goals by sophomore midfielder Ismailcan Usta (83', 88'), who was also returning to the lineup after missing the majority of the 2021 fall campaign
NOTES
- UMBC scored on eight of 11 shots on goal.
- The eight-spot was the most goals by a UMBC team since they opened the 2004 campaign with a 10-0 win over NJIT.
- Hanks (3g, 1a) posted his first career three-goal game and notched UMBC's first since Calheira netted three at Lehigh last September. He led four Retrievers with multiple points Usta (2g), Calheira (1g, 2a), Becher (1g, 1a).
The Retrievers return home on Monday, August 29 when they host Lehigh at 7:30 p.m.
